Mono-theism vs Poly-theism has to be the most fundamental conflict among those of us who study esoteric matters. For this writing, I will use the classical understandings of these terms. Both mono and poly theists have developed some radicalized fringe elements that are, for lack of a better term; 'insane'. Monotheism is the belief in one 'God'. Usually this 'one God' is all knowing, distant, masculine and easily offended. Polytheism, as described by monotheists is the belief in many gods. That is an often intentional inaccuracy. Those that are labeled "Polytheists' many times understand and accept the ubiquity of that which we call 'God'. Polytheism and Paganism are often used interchangeably. They are the belief/knowledge that which many call 'God', is actually unified spirit or energy that has infinite expressions. There are no 'mountain' Gods, there is God as this mountain. There are no tree gods, there is God as the tree. There are no storm gods, there is god as this storm. God as this blade of grass...god as the snow leopard, god as the antelope. Unending expressions of the universal spirit of all. God expressed as the individual thing and God expressed as the Universal whole. The subtle cognitive shift in understanding of pagan or polytheistic beliefs is to comprehend that the assertion is not of many gods. It is all things as an expression of 'God'.

If one is studying the origin of spiritual practice and knowledge, then one MUST begin in Africa. All indigenous peoples be they from Africa, to Asia, to even Europe and the Americas have their own earth based spirit systems of knowledge and practices. These ancients knew the cosmos, revered the seasons and their relationship to the cosmos. Earth was mother god. The heavens were records of the movement of the cosmic bodies and viewed as God expressed in the seasons. Animals were known for their unique spirit(s) and others were seen as reflections of god and oneself. However, with the ascendance of Greece and it's 'pantheon of gods', and then Roman paganism which was derivative of the Greeks. The Romans ultimately postulated that Caesar was god. The direct personal experience of that which is called 'God' began to become imaged in a narrow, exclusive manner and projected outside of the experience of Oneself. People lost the motivation and ability to contemplate the divine within their own experience and began to project their own inner, sacred divinity onto statues and 'leaders' and books. They became supplicants, not sovereign individuals with their own direct connection to the sacred beingness of themselves and all things. The cosmological lineage of western religious/spiritual language and understanding is rooted in Africa. It flows from Egypt/Nubia, through Greece and Rome all the way to the British empire into America. The Hindus in India were always Hindu, the Taoists of China and the Asian continent were always Taoist. However, western philosophy and spirituality is derivative of African philosophy and spiritual thought. It is African with an added twist, or in some cases flat out corruption of the original core essence. That is not to say that Hindus, Taoists and Native American religious systems didn't develop outside of African influence, they did. However, the fundamental core of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are African originated in their cosmology.

One tradition that is common to all ancient, pre-'civilized' peoples all over the earth is Shamanism."A Shaman is an intermediary between this world and the spirit world. They act on behalf of the community; conducting ceremonial rituals, healing the people, and helping to guide others on the shamanic path. A shaman’s life belongs to the village and it is their responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of the family, the community and all of creation." ~ Brant SecundaFrom Africa, Europe to Asia and the Americas and Pacific Island cultures, shamanism was practiced. Shamans understood the movement of the cosmos, could perceive the subtler energies of nature, humans and animals. Shamans understood that all was a manifestation of One spirit (energy) and that this Universal singular spirit needed to flow. Dis-ease, both physical, emotional and mental could be traced to the source as blocked Universal energy, energy that the ancient Chinese called Chi. Acupuncture is an example of the assisting the flow of Chi. Shamans were invaluable to the tribe for healing. However, just as in any gathering of humans, the kind of power the shamans could hoard was ripe for abuse. The Mayans are an example of this. The Mayan culture was ruled by a shamanic priesthood that possessed an intricate, predictive knowledge of cosmic events and planetary transits which they used to keep the masses of Mayans in a superstition fueled ignorance. The Mayan culture collapsed suddenly after almost a millennium reign. Ecological disaster was the main culprit. The Mayan people didn't possess the sacred self knowledge to sustain themselves. Shamanism is making a return. However, this time it will be a personal self-knowing, shamanic philosophy. We're becoming our own medicine men and wise women. We're nearing a critical mass of humanity that wants to know 'God' for themselves, not dependent on any intercessory priests or religious dogma. Humanity in the generations to come will become communities of independents, self responsible, devoted to personal integrity and each other. Know Thyself will be the dominant spiritual pursuit. Our minds will re-unite with our hearts and we will truly become One. Mono-theism or Poly-theism will not matter anymore. We will know All is One, with infinite expression. I don't wish this...I know, I've seen it.One Love,Duane Townsend

The majority of the teachers, preachers and followers of Christianity, Judaism and Islam will cite obedience as the fundamental concept for a believer to practice. Yes they will cite "faith". But, isn't faith simply an element of obedience? "If you're an obedient devotee then you'll have faith in the book, or the teachings I'm giving you". Many times simple 'faith' is devoid of a genuine, personal experience. You're accepting the implied experience of the teacher, preacher or author; it becomes an intellectual exercise, a mental pursuit. This cerebral, faith based pseudo-comprehension of the deeper esoteric realities essentially negates a true genuine personal knowing experience. Even the eastern religions typified by Hinduism and Buddhism have become intellectualized by the demands from it's teachers of an idealized, mental, constricting, sentimental obedience based on faith; not on a direct personal experience. Love is not of the mind, the mind can not comprehend love and in turn cannot define it. How many times have we heard the maxim "God is Love". Usually the proponents of that dictate then proceed to give you their definition of 'God', while neglecting the 'Love' part. Love, in the terms of language can only be alluded to. Language which is solely of the ego/mind can not properly capture the sweet spot essence of Love. Love can only be experienced...One can only relate that it surely exists, and it is 'God', but one cannot properly describe to someone else the substance of the felt experience. Trust me...this writing is an intellectual, analytical attempt to relate the un-relatable. To communicate that which we as seekers are searching for, is indeed there and real. I and the multitude of hundreds of millions have directly experienced it. My personal experience comes in instants, not even in minutes. An instant of periodic whole-knowing-ness, being Love. Those instants are enough to fuel my esoteric/spiritual/mystical practices for lifetimes. My desire is to share my experience, even though I know that it is ultimately impossible.

My friend Dr. Alexander Riegal introduced me to the 'mystic poets'. Hafiz, Rumi, Teresa of Avila, John Of The Cross, Khalil Gibran, and others. I've discovered that even Emily Dickinson, who many think of as an erotic or romantic poet of 'love'; in actuality much of what Dickinson wrote was mystical poetry. There is an erotic flavor to much of the mystical poets work. The kind of ubiquitous Love that they so eloquently describe in metaphor, simile and symbolism, engages the whole rainbow of human senses, senses including and past the physical. The knowing of 'God' includes a definite eroticism. But I digress...The mystic poets span all religious persuasions, yet their writings all speak of the same common, energetic-conscious origins of Love, the heart. The physical heart that pumps our blood and keeps the cadence of life is the material, corporeal manifestation of the spiritual, energetic power that under girds the biological heart and is the seat of our being and knowing.

The outer edge of each religion says 'fundamentalism'.

Jesus was Jewish, Buddha was Hindu, Muhammad was a practicing mystic. Moses was a Hebrew possibly of the Kabbalistic tradition. All of these mystics have one very critical aspect in common...Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad all retreated in solitude and discovered the same core essence of living-beingness.

Jesus to the desert

Muhammad to a cave

Moses to the mountaintop

Buddha under a tree

They discovered the core essence of their beings in solitude and retreat. The ancient mystics all experienced the core of beingness, Love. Their teachings were called mystical.

The mystic poets celebrate the universality of the mystic's vision. Many times called 'the ground of being, the divine spark, the sacred love, the 'God' within. This is the very fabric of the universe. We are the experiencers of the universe being conscious and loving. The problem is that we think we're something else, that we're something 'special' in our individuality, that our uniqueness of expression makes others less or more than we are. We have allowed our divine connection to all 'things ' to become an outward experience, where the sacred substance is lost, and we experience fear. We have adopted the tragic belief that unless others reflect our beliefs and myopic vision, then they're not deserving of our love and in turn respect and they are to be shunned, dishonored or mocked.

The grievous irony of all of this is that Moses, Muhammad, Buddha or Jesus or any other mystic never taught any such thing.

The prophetic mystic poets knew and taught that the nucleus, the core being-ness of us all is a heart based Love. Cultures and the religions and governments that spring from them teach otherwise. They teach obedience over Loving, conformity over integrity, that 'God' is this and not that.

Chemistry gives us a great understanding of what this love may look like mechanically. Some elements always have electrons (energy) to give, some elements bond easily by adopting the 'extra' electrons of other elements, and some elements known as 'the noble gases' are always balanced and neither give nor take up 'free' electrons. All of the elements of the Periodic table are at their source physical manifestations of energy, energy that has consolidated into their expression as matter, which is simply densely compacted energy . Once these elements 'decay', they return to their energetic origin. That is infinity...that is eternal. That is us.

So I invite you to read and ponder the mystic poets. I am relatively new to their brilliance myself. However, I do know that no matter what religious/cultural tradition they emerge from, they all communicate the exact same experience.

Maybe you have heard...there is a new paradigm dawning, a new age, a shift in consciousness. There is a just under the radar, subtlety perceptible awakening, an expanding of consciousness. This mystical, cross-cultural, mass awakening is happening in the individual and spreading across the world like a beneficent virus, an 'influenza' of raised consciousness. Just as the common flu bug genetically re-programs your cells to reproduce itself; the raised consciousness flu re-programs your feelings and thoughts to re-member who you are, your mystical divinity...your esoteric connection to all things, that you are the Universe experiencing itself in a human body.

This awakening consciousness condition comes with its own symptoms; such as increased, sometimes uncomfortable emotions, disrupted sleep patterns, melancholy, along with with blissful feelings for no apparent reason, enhanced senses, a new found comfort with being alone...among many, many others. You are changing the way you relate to your own living, your experience of your relationship to others, especially the way you speak to yourself and others.

Words are symbols of energy. Language is a system of symbols that conjure 'spirits', spirits simply being energies that empower or conversely oppose ones intention(s). The reconsideration of the words we use in our life is critical. Words can enhance or drain our power, our sense of self responsibility.

While awakening, one begins to seek out the language that reflects Oneness in all endeavors, language that reflects choice in all matters, language that avoids, neuters the power-domination over dynamics that may cause internal and outer resistance. Such as...

Surrender becomes allowing

Submit becomes acceptance

Faith which is detached from an actual experience, becomes trust from experience.

Belief becomes less meaningful, knowledge gleaned from direct experience becomes the major frame of reference.

'Awakening' becomes remembering

Patience becomes less about waiting for something to happen and more about composed, trusting effort.

'God' becomes Universe, Universal life force, divinity, Love.

To name just a few...

One will release the concept of absolutes, release the notion of something 'other' having any effect on oneself, be it 'positive' or 'negative'. Things become more about perception and less about adherence to imposed doctrines. One will travel this life with an inner vision, an inner vision derived from a newly discovered inner primal presence. Some of us call this inner presence 'the 'God'-'Goddess' within. One will not seek to 'control' matters or others by force, but to guide from a basis of deep understanding born of Love, not force. Coming to terms with the matters of life, seeking harmony and an 'at oneness'. Understanding brings peace. The only 'dominion' one will seek is over oneself. Ones mind will not act alone anymore, the mind and the ego that operates it will seek the counsel of the heart. Heart and mind acting as One.

Coming to terms with ones 'shadow' is a shaman's work. Understanding that things of the shadow are simply the parts of ourselves that we want to hide from others. This 'shadow-self' that we've sentenced to the prison of our personal dark, closets, and are reflected in our projections onto others. A raised conscious awareness always starts with the self, an uncompromising self honesty. Becoming a 'better person' will not be based on what others think about you, it will be vested in what you think of yourself. You are creating a new normal.

The image at the beginning of this article speaks of 'miracles from sound'. That sound is the sound of your own inner voice, the feelings attached to the 'spells' you cast with your words. In your journey; give your self language examination. Your heart feels the words your speak, the heart will tell you what does not resonate with the frequency of Love and self-realization. Are your words self-inspiring?...are they of self-Love and acceptance?Are the words contradictory to a true Loving, liberated soul?

Sit with your self-talk in non-judgmental silence; note how your inner dialogue feels. The ties that bind will become apparent. Honest self-observation will break those ties to free the real you, the you that the world needs you to be now.